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Overview

Just a dab leaves you longing for more

Just a dab leaves you longing for more

Cologne or "Köln", as the locals call their city, is so rich in history that excavations can date the area back to 38 BC when the Romans set up camp here. Cologne is over 2000 years old and was once a center for international trade. With that came riches, which helped build the city’s incredible architectural gems.

Exit the centrally located Cologne Hauptbahnhof (main train station) and find yourself smack dab in front of the city’s biggest and best sight : the magnificent Cologne cathedral (Köln er Dom). Think of the church as your compass (moral or otherwise) around the capital of Rhineland. The edifice will seemingly follow you, as it can be seen from nearly every point in the city.

Rebuilt after a fire in 1248 this Cathedral can hold over 20,000 people and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Stretching over 500 feet above this beautiful medieval city, you can climb the 519 steps to the top of the spire for a closer view of the handcrafted stone work. Aside from the colossal scale, the church claims to have the world’s largest church façade, and houses a wide variety of religious relics and artifacts, including the Shrine of the Three Holy Kings.

Beyond the Cathedral, there are important museums housing prized works. But there’s something to see that is so sweet, so popular, most locals and tourists flock to get a taste. It’s the Imhoff Chocolate Museum. Visitors get to see the entire chocolate process from cocoa bean to chocolate bar. There’s a three-meter-high chocolate fountain with a docent readily handing guests wafers to dip into the liquid goodness.

Continue to tempt your senses by visiting the home of the original Eau de Cologne at 4711 Glockengasse. Situated in the old town, the building houses a glockenspiel, which rings throughout the day (maybe as a reminder to douse yourself in scent ?) To say you wore the original “Cologne,” give yourself a brisk splash of the Echt Kölnisch Wasser from the fountain at the front door.

You may get splashed on your river cruise up the Rhine, which is included with your German Pass and any Eurail Pass that covers Germany. The country’s longest and busiest waterway is surrounded by centuries-old castles and is a distinct way to see the city. Who knows – maybe you’ll see a Rhinemaiden ! (Time to read up on your Wagner operas.)

Cologne is perfectly situated for seeing other world-class cities. Perhaps that’s why so many Eurail passes include Germany. Be in Amsterdam in just under two hours, Paris in just over three hours and to Brussels in less than two.

Think of your rail pass like cologne itself – the more you use it, the further it travels.

Getting to and from Cologne

From
Paris

03:14

From
Amsterdam

02:38

From
Frankfurt

01:10

From
Berlin

04:17

From
Brussels

01:47

From
Munich

04:37

From
Zurich

05:03

From
Prague

11:35

From
Vienna

09:13

From
Basel

03:52

From
Salzburg

07:42

From
Lucerne

05:09

From
Copenhagen

11:28

From
Stuttgart

02:14

From
Hamburg

03:35

From
Dusseldorf

00:22

From
Dresden

07:26

From
Nuremberg

04:32

From
Heidelberg

02:41

From
Freiburg

03:08

From
Hanover

02:38

From
Mannheim

01:29

From
Bonn

00:20

From
Karlsruhe

02:05

From
Bremen

03:02

From
Aachen

00:35

From
Linz

10:50

From
Utrecht

02:10

From
Saarbrucken

03:06

From
Kolding

09:04

From
Wolfsburg

03:12

From
Ulm

03:14

From
Braunschweig

03:54

From
Lubeck

05:13

From
Regensburg

05:35

From
Leipzig

06:02

From
Flensburg(de)

06:05

From
Passau

06:41

From
Kiel

05:08

From
Augsburg

04:02

From
Odense

09:46

From
Bingen

02:56

From
Konstanz

06:33

From
Paderborn

02:22

From
Koblenz

00:52

From
Essen

00:49

From
Gelsenkirchen

00:57

From
Bochum

01:00

From
Wiesbaden

01:05

From
Liege

01:01

From
Oberhausen

00:45

From
Hagen

00:45

From
Duisburg

00:36

From
Solingen

00:19

From
Limburg

00:42

From
Krefeld

00:43

From
Andernach

00:45

From
Dortmund

01:09

From
Schwerte

01:12

From
Osnabruck

02:09

From
Bielefeld

01:47

From
Baden Baden

02:22

From
Siegburg

00:14

From
Offenburg

02:35

From
Trier

02:27

From
Wurzburg

02:47

From
Munster Westf Hb

01:40

From
Wesel

01:17

From
Hamm Westf

01:15

From
Mainz

01:39

From
Unna

01:25

From
Siegen

01:26

From
Arnhem

01:35

From
Montabaur

00:31

To
Bonn

00:21

To
Dusseldorf

00:31

To
Opladen

00:32

To
Aachen

00:34

To
Siegburg

00:35

To
Neuss

00:55

To
Duisburg

01:03

To
Andernach

01:17

To
Monchengladbach

01:19

To
Essen

01:19

To
Oberhausen

01:21

To
Krefeld

01:30

To
Bochum

01:31

To
Dortmund

01:32

To
Koblenz

01:37

To
Gelsenkirchen

01:44

To
Wesel

01:49

To
Hamm Westf

01:57

To
Schwerte

02:03

To
Hagen

02:08

To
Neuwied

02:11

To
Unna

02:23

To
Munster Westf Hb

02:26

To
Iserlohn

02:32

To
Bielefeld

02:43

To
Cochem

02:45

To
Bingen

03:01

To
Siegen

03:04

To
Liege

03:04

To
Frankfurt

03:09

To
Paderborn

03:10

To
Eindhoven

03:15

To
Osnabruck

03:24

To
Mainz

03:29

To
Trier

03:33

To
Strasbourg

04:04

To
Giessen

04:09

To
Stuttgart

04:15

To
Brussels

04:16

To
Mannheim

04:26

To
Utrecht

04:33

To
Wurzburg

04:35

To
Wiesbaden

04:35

To
Heidelberg

04:55

To
Amsterdam

05:00

To
Karlsruhe

05:05

To
Nuremberg

05:10

To
Offenburg

05:41

To
Baden Baden

06:09

To
Freiburg

06:12

To
Saarbrucken

06:19

To
Bremen

06:26

To
Ulm

06:47

To
Kiel

06:59

To
Basel

07:01

To
Venlo

07:31

To
Augsburg

07:36

To
Leipzig

07:37

To
Berlin

07:40

To
Hanover

07:40

To
Paris

07:57

To
Salzburg

08:01

To
Munich

08:09

To
Lucerne

08:19

To
Lubeck

08:23

To
Wolfsburg

08:30

To
Zurich

08:34

To
Braunschweig

08:39

To
Hamburg

08:46

To
Passau

09:17

To
Konstanz

09:58

To
Kolding

10:09

To
Landeck

10:09

To
Regensburg

11:26

To
Prague

11:30

To
Flensburg(de)

11:46

To
Odense

11:55

To
Vienna

12:03

To
Dresden

12:13

To
Copenhagen

12:26

To
Milan

21:16

Cologne station(s)

Trains are convenient way to reach any town and city in Europe. All main towns have a railway station, while major cities have more than two railway stations. Nearly all railway stations are located in the city centre. Check our map to locate railway station(s) in Cologne.

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